


OneDay

by Charowak



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Ranger
Genre: F/M, Gay, I will probably never finish this, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 17:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11490744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charowak/pseuds/Charowak
Summary: Kellyn, a teenager who has never left his small hometown in Fiore, has always wanted to be a Ranger. At the age of fifteen, he leaves his friends and family to attend the Ranger School in Almia. What will happen to him on this glorious new adventure? (basically a rewrite of shadows of almia but with some gay thrown in and also a bunch of weird headcanons. enjoy)





	1. PROLOGUE :: Prologue

Saturday, April 19, 2009

It seems like a good idea to start off this journal with some stuff about me. Not, like, lame physical descriptions or what my favorite brand of deodorant is, but if scientists find my journal in the far future and want to know what a Pokemon Ranger was like in 2009 or something, they have this to go by.

So my name's Kellyn. I'm fifteen. I'm leaving home tomorrow to go to the Ranger School in Almia and basically follow my dreams while leaving all the important stuff behind: my friends, Dad's farm and its rivalry with Hamburg's a mile away, my family (especially my younger sister Lilly), and let's not forget Hannah. I've liked her for about a year now. and the thought of her hooking up with someone else while I'm in Almia makes me sick. What else? I like music, any kind really. My favorite song is "Times Like These" by Foo Fighters. We were rocking out to it at my Official Goodbye Party earlier. And if you must have a physical description, I'm paler than some albinos, my hair is brown, flippy, and sticks up in one place (I gave up trying to flatten it long ago), I'm average height and skinny, and my eyes are the same brown as my hair. I just try not to care too much about anything, except obviously Hannah. Oh, and I'm pansexual. I never really think much of it. Nobody bullies me for it. I don't self-harm because I'm a stupid gay freak or anything. I just am, and everyone who thinks otherwise can go fuck themselves, although everyone has yet to think otherwise. I'd like it to stay that way.

Now how about something more interesting than Some Stuff About Me?

I spent the morning packing, because I can't really go to Almia without stuff. I have about ten sets of uniforms, as well as the obvious things like pajamas, my toothbrush, and normal clothes for weekends. We don't have to wear uniforms on the weekends. Now this doesn't have anything to do with packing, but the huge envelope of crap I got in the mail explains the Ranger School's ranking system. You start at rank 1, and depending on how well you do in school, you get promoted. When you get to Rank 5, you graduate with the next round of your fellow Rank 5'ers. The normal stay is about six months, and it's open enrollment, so anyone can start at any time, unlike normal school years. If this were a normal school year, I'd be seven months late.

When I finished packing, I went to the Official Goodbye Party my friends threw for me. Hunter had it in his room. He, Ben, Solana, Hannah and I just chilled there, listened to a playlist of all my favorite songs, and ate pizza. I'll never forget the soda toast Hunter led. He reached over, paused the music and lifted his can of soda. "As we all know, our friend Kellyn is leaving for Almia tomorrow. Here's to his safety, his success as a Ranger, and we pledge that even though he'll be really far away now, nothing will come between our friendship. Uh, toast!"

We clinked our soda cans together. I was getting all choked up as I drank the soda down. Ben started up a chant of "Speech! Speech! Speech!" and pretty soon all four of them were in on it.

I laughed. "Really guys?"

"Yeah!" Ben interjected before going back to his chant.

"Fine. Everyone shut up." Everyone did and turned to look at me. "So I'm obviously leaving Fiore tomorrow. You all know it's been my dream to be a Ranger since I was really little, and I've always been saying how I'm gonna come back with some really big Pokemon and wreak havoc on Hamburg's farm to get back at him for all the times he was mean to my dad. I'm a lot more mature than that now, but I still want to be a Ranger. It's a bittersweet moment, though, because I have to leave all of you. I hope I get assigned to Fiore when I graduate, but if I don't, I hope we can all keep in touch. I'm really gonna miss you guys..."

"Aww, we're gonna miss you too," Hunter interrupted.

"Shh!" Ben hissed. "He's giving a freaking speech!"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Sor-ry."

I laughed. "It's okay. But I promise to help keep people and Pokemon safe and that we will all stay friends and all that crap and...I don't think I can say anymore." My voice sort of cracked on the last word.

"I propose a cliche sad group hug," Solana said.

"Good idea," Hunter seconded. Everyone piled on top of me. I lost it, then everyone else lost it, and we all sat there crying for a few minutes before the hug broke up.

I sniffed. "It sucks how following your dreams means giving up other things."

Hannah patted my shoulder. "It's okay. We'll always be your friends." It nearly set me off again, but I was able to control myself.

Hunter put the music back on. It was "Times Like These." For a few minutes, I forgot everything and just danced (actually, I jumped around like a psycho lizard) and sang along, even though I can't really sing.

After that, I went home and played video games. Hunter came over at one point and played with me. I think out of my four best friends, Hunter would have to be my best-best friend. He was the first person after us to move into our town. The other three came afterward.

Nothing else interesting really happened today. I have a busy day tomorrow. I should go to sleep.

*

Sunday, April 20

I'm on a plane. I can't complain. Ha! See what I did there? I made a Nirvana joke! I make myself laugh. ...Okay, not funny.

My flight left at 9 this morning and is going to take three hours. When I get to Almia, there's supposed to be someone waiting for me at the gate to bring me to a green car and drive me to the Ranger School. I'm about halfway through the flight and I'm already getting jittery. I said goodbye to my friends at five this morning. It was a pretty sad thing. I mean, I'm coming outside in my school uniform and it basically solidifies the fact that I'm leaving and won't return for a while. I hugged each of them about five times, except Hannah. I hugged her six times.

At least I didn't have to say goodbye to my family until I got to the airport. It was especially hard to say goodbye to Lilly. She's only five and she barely understands what the word "leaving" means. "Do good in school!" she told me when I hugged her. I assured her that I will.

But even though I had to say goodbye to everyone, I'm still super excited. I've wanted to be a Ranger forever. I think I'm too excited to keep writing and make sense. Next time I write in this journal, I'll be in Almia...


	2. PART ONE: VIENTOWN :: Chapter One

So when I got off the plane, there was a woman waiting at the gate. She had a motherly appearance. She saw my uniform and waved me over. "You're Kellyn, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"I'm Janice. I'm the dorm caretaker. I'll be your escort to the Ranger School."

I shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

She started to walk me towards the baggage claim. "It must have been hard, leaving your family to come here."

I nodded. "It was."

Fifteen minutes later, I had my bags and we were in the car. I'd never seen a car in real life before. In fact, I'd never left my cute farming town in my fifteen years of life. We never had a reason to; everything we needed was a stone's throw away--Mom's store, the little school, all my friend's houses. If we ever needed anything, Dad could get it when he went to Fall City for the farmer's market. Janice drove for about ten minutes. She came to a stop in a small paved lot filled mostly with the green cars. I opened the door slowly and got out. "Silly boy," Janice said with a smile on her face. "You act like you've never seen a car in your life!"

"I've never seen a car in my life," I said flatly.

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

I nodded. "Never left my hometown until today either."

"Hm." She led me through a gate, up a flight of stairs, and into the biggest building I'd ever seen. "Welcome to the Ranger School," she said.

Straight ahead was another set of stairs, one going down to the basement and one going up to the second floor. Janice and I went up. "Your dorm is on the right. I suggest you pick an empty drawer and put your things in it. Then you may want to get some sleep. It must have been a long day for you. I think the bottom bunk in the far left corner isn't taken. You can tell, though. The other boys put up posters or letters from home by their beds."

"Thanks for everything so far, Janice," I said.

"No problem!" She waved to me, and I went into the dorm, put my things away, and changed into my pajamas. And that's pretty much all that happened today. Classes start tomorrow. I'm so excited I don't know if I'll sleep.

*

Dear Kellyn,

I'm gonna put this letter in your suitcase before you leave so you can find it when you unpack! I hope you're settling in all right! Have you made any new friends yet?

Love,

Lily

*

Hey bro.

I had your sister put this in your suitcase for me. Hope you're doing well at school. Learn lots of cool stuff for me, kay? And make sure you come back and visit us someday.

Your friend,

Hunter

*

Hey, new kid.

Watch where you put your diary in the future.

-Keith

[This note takes up an entire page. It is surrounded by scribbles that are probably supposed to be Bidoof. Kellyn is somewhat annoyed by it and wonders who the fuck Keith is.]


	3. Chapter Two

Monday, April 21

I woke up to find some dick had eaten up an entire page of my journal with that ridiculous Bidoof drawing. Everyone had left for class, except one of the boys, who was still in the dorm. "Hello. You're Kellyn?" he asked.

I sat up. "Yeah."

"I'm Isaac. I waited for you to wake up so you wouldn't have to go downstairs by yourself."

I got out of bed and fetched a clean uniform from the drawer. "Thanks for that. You wanna wait outside while I change, or do you have to get to class?"

"I don't go to classes," Isaac said. "I get special permission from Mr. Kincaid to study on my own."

"Oh, okay." He left the room. I changed, took extra care to straighten my tie, and followed him out.

"Janice said you still need to take the entrance exam," Isaac said as we started down the stairs. "I'll bring you to the Training Room so Mr. Kaplan can give it to you." We walked until we got to the schoolyard. He stopped in front of a small building on the right. "Good luck, Kellyn," he said.

"Thanks, I might need it." I smiled and entered the building.

The Training Room was quite small. Its main feature was an open floor, presumably used for teaching captures and Target Clears. In the back were some machines and screens, and in front of the technology were a man and woman, dressed in similar red and blue uniforms and identical pale blue hats. The man stepped forward. "Kellyn, yes?"

I nodded, too nervous to speak.

"Catch." He tossed me a gadget, which I caught. "That's a School Styler. You use it to capture Pokemon. You see that button in the middle? You push that and you can draw loops to catch Pokemon. Here, draw some loops around this Pikachu."

A Pikachu hopped out from behind a big wooden crate. It ran at me, and when it got close enough, I pushed the button. A blue beam came from one end of the School Styler. I directed the beam at the floor and used it to draw loops around the Pikachu. I thought I was doing well, but then the Pikachu curled up into a ball and squirted out a couple of electric shocks. I let go of the button. "Ahh!"

"Keep going! Keep going!" the woman urged. I did. I pressed the button again and drew one last loop around the Pikachu. A pink bubble formed around it, then quickly popped.

The man laughed evilly. "Welcome to our secret army, the inscrutable Team School! One day we shall rule the world!!"

...Okaaaay.

The door to the Training Room slid open. "Mr. Kaplan, please refrain from pulling your crap on my new student."

Mr. Kaplan sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sor-ry."

I turned around to see a woman in a green tank top and a white pencil skirt. Her long brown hair went to the middle of her back. "Hi, Kellyn," she said. "I'm your teacher, Ms. April."

"Anyway," Mr. Kaplan continued, "as proof of your membership in this army, I confer to you the School Styler you just used. Together we will achieve world domination!" He laughed evilly again. I somehow felt I was going to need to get used to hearing someone laugh evilly, but it was ridiculous, so I pushed it away.

Ms. April crossed her arms and glared at Mr. Kaplan. "Really?"

"You know what, take your new minion and go," Mr. Kaplan said flabbergastedly.

Ms. April brought me out of the Training Room and back into the main building. She took me into the classroom on the left. "Sorry for being late," she said to the class. "I'd like you all to meet our new student, Kellyn." She walked to the front of the room. I stayed in the doorway. "Come up here, Kellyn!" she said.

I did. I stood in front of Ms. April's desk and waved. "Hi, Kellyn," everyone said, except for the kid with the red hair. He sat there with this ridiculous grin on his face. Ms. April looked at him quizzically. "What's up, Keith? Why the big grin?"

I looked at him. "Cause you're the douche who 'borrowed' my journal last night."

The grin didn't leave his face. "You mean your DIARY?"

All the boys in the room laughed. I could only wonder what else they'd done to my stuff. One girl, however, wasn't pleased. "Keith! Be nicer to our new student!"

Ms. April ignored all of this and looked at the girl who spoke. "Rhythmi, why don't you give our new student a tour?"

"Sure!" Her blonde curls bounced as she jumped up and stuck her hand out for a shake. "I'm Rhythmi," she said. "I'm studying to be an Operator. You know what that is, right?"

I nodded. "Operators recharge Stylers and tell Rangers what to do."

"Right." She closed her eyes, turned to Keith, and said snootily, "So one day I'll be telling Keith what to do and he won't be able to do anything about it."

I smirked. "I've got this image of Keith in a pink tutu and you yelling at him to do more pirouettes."

Everyone laughed, even Ms. April. Keith blushed the same color as his hair and flipped us the bird.

"Anyway!" Rhythmi grabbed my arm and drabbed me out of the classroom. "It's tour time!"

As soon as the door slid shut, I said, "He's kinda hot, though."

"Who, Keith?" She wrinkled her nose."Ew. I mean, he IS attractive, but he's an annoying little dick." I followed her as she walked briskly down the hall. Something about her walk gave off the impression of an Operator. "So you're into guys?"

"Yeah. I'm pan. Why, do you have a problem with it?"

She shook her head quickly. "Oh, Arceus, no. It's not my place to have a problem. Anyway..." She slid open the door in front of us. It was another classroom. "Hi, Mr. Kincaid!" she said. Sorry to interrupt your class. I'm giving Kellyn here a tour."

Mr. Kincaid smiled coolly. "Welcome to the Ranger School, Kellyn. There is one rule you need to follow if you want to succeed. Would you like to know it?"

"Sure," I said at the same time Rhythmi said, "Hell no."

Mr. Kincaid pretended he hadn't heard her. "No running in the hallways!" he said. "Remember that and you will succeed. Also, don't cast suspicion on others without proof."

Rhythmi smiled, but I could tell she was annoyed. "Thanks, Mr. Kincaid! We've got to continue with the tour now." She grabbed my arm and dragged me out again, this time a bit more roughly. "The douche you just met is Mr. Kincaid," she said. "He acts like an old man when it comes to running in the hallways. And he gets his hair to go like that with a ton of hairspray. Anyway, how about I bring you to the Library?" She ran down the hallway until she reached the stairs. "Up there, as you know, are the dorms. The basement is down, but we're not allowed down there. The Library is on the left."

In the back of the Library, Isaac stood browsing the books. "Hi, Isaac! I'm giving our new student a tour!" Rhythmi chirped.

Isaac turned around. "Hi, Kellyn!" he said with a smile on his face. "How was your entrance exam?"

"It went well, aside from when Mr. Kaplan went off about world domination," I said.

Rhythmi raised her eyebrows. "So you two have already met?"

"Yeah," I said. "He waited for me when I overslept."

"Well, that was nice." Isaac turned back to the books, blushing slightly. "Everyone in the school agrees that Isaac is the kind of genius that comes along once in a century," Rhythmi explained. "His IQ is somewhere in the 160s. He's so smart he doesn't go to classes. And in this corner-" she swiveled around on one heel "-we have Ponte, the conflicted marshmallow boy!"

A boy with spiky blue hair looked up from a book. "Hi," he said."

I waved. "Hey."

Ponte stood up. "They call me the conflicted marshmallow boy because I haven't figured anything out yet. You're Kellyn?"

I shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Yet again, Rhythmi grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room. "There's one more room before we can go outside!"

This final room was the Staff Room. A man stood in the back. He turned around when he heard us come in. "Ah, Rhythmi. You're giving our new student a tour?"

"Kellyn, this is Principal Lamont. Obviously he's our principal," Rhythmi said.

"It's nice to meet you," I said for the tenth time that day.

Principal Lamont studied me carefully. "Now, this doesn't have anything to do with your tour, but there is a word in the books of our Library that is no longer in common usage. It means to rekindle a light that has been swallowed by darkness. The word is vatonage. I have a feeling that word will soon mean something again."

Suddenly, a bell rang. "That's the bell!" Rhythmi said. "We can go outside now. Thanks, Principal Lamont! I'll take you to the Training Room now. I can have Ms. Claire and Mr. Kaplan give you special lessons."

I rolled my eyes. "Please not Mr. Kaplan."

She giggled. "Don't worry. He only goes off about world domination at the entrance exam."

"So what Rank are you?" I asked.

"Me? I'm Rank 2. Ms. April promoted me last week because I'm always helping new students."

I sighed. "Does that mean you're going to stop protecting me from the likes of Keith once I'm no longer new?"

She laughed. "No. Keith will stop bothering you after--well, he'll stop soon enough. But you do seem different somehow from other new kids I've seen. You're not as...shy and quiet. I mean, you confronted Keith in front of the whole class! That's pretty weird for a new kid. Are you, like, good with new places?"

"I guess so. I've never left my hometown before, so I dunno."

"And you're not nervous here at all?" She looked shocked.

"No. Well, not anymore."

She stopped, turned to me, and pointed her index finger inches from my face. "You are something else. We should be friends."

I smiled. "Sure."

"Anyway, as you probably know, you're standing in front of the Training Room, which I'm sure Isaac showed you to this morning for your exam." Something flickered across her face when she mentioned Isaac. She opened the door. Ms. Claire and Mr. Kaplan still stood in the back of the room. "Hello, Rhythmi and Kellyn," Mr. Kaplan said. "What brings you here?"

"We're looking for special lessons," Rhythmi explained.

Mr. Kaplan smiled and stepped forward. "How about I go first? Kellyn, I'm going to teach you the fundamentals of capture. First you--"

"--I know," I interrupted. "You use the Styler to draw loops around the Pokemon to convey your feelings of friendship to it. If a Pokemon walks across the Capture Line, you need to make a new one. If an attack hits the Capture Line, the Styler absorbs it, but it loses some of its energy. If you run out of energy, your Styler's broken, and the Ranger Union won't be happy."

Mr. Kaplan assumed a surprised expression. "Smart kid."

Ms. Claire spoke up. "I bet you don't know how to do a Target Clear!"

I smiled and raised my index finger. "Point your Styler beam at the Pokemon and draw a line from it to the target you want to clear--"

"But what do you do first?" She smiled, clearly thinking she'd won.

"Right, right. Check it with your Styler to see what Field Move is needed to clear it."

"Well." Both were shocked. "Turns out you didn't even need to bring him here..." Ms. Claire said.

Rhythmi was also shocked. "Kellyn? How long have you wanted to be a Ranger?"

"Only since forever," I replied.

"You'll do quite well for the inscrutable Team School," Mr. Kaplan said, grinning evilly. "We will one day rule the world!"

"Yeaah, we gotta go." Rhythmi grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the Training Room.

"You promised he wouldn't go off about world domination," I whined.

"Well I was wrong and what the hell is going on here?" Her tone abruptly changed when she saw the nine Bidoof cavorting around the schoolyard. Janice stood in the middle, frozen into place. "Help! Someone!" she screamed.

Keith suddenly ran outside, holding his School Styler over his head. "I'll help you!" But as soon as he said this, he stopped short and dropped the arm he was holding it with. "Whoa, that's a lot of Bidoof."

I unclipped my Styler from my shorts. "I'll help too!"

Keith looked up. "New kid?"

Rhythmi rolled her eyes. "Keith, at least bother to learn his name."

Keith ignored her. "So new kid. Why don't we make it a little contest? Whoever catches the most Bidoof wins."

"I don't care what you do!" Janice shouted. "Just catch them!"

Keith grinned at me. "Contest it is."

I got close to one of the Bidoof and started drawing loops. In no time, I had captured it and gone on to the next one. But I already knew Bidoof was an easy capture. Dad would always buy me Ranger books when he was in Fall City.

I managed to catch four Bidoof, which meant Keith probably had five. "Well," I said when I brought the Bidoof back to Janice, "it looks like you won."

Keith smiled proudly, flipped his Styler, and pointed the antenna straight up. "Hell yeah!" He clipped it back onto his belt. "But really, Kellyn, you did a pretty good job, seeing as how it's your first day and all."

"So you did know his name, Keith," Rhythmi said. "You could have used it earlier."

"Whatever." He unclipped his Styler and flipped it as he strolled back into school.

"Thank you, Kellyn," Janice said. "I'll ask Ms. April about Rank advancements for both of you."

I smiled. "Not a problem."

"There's one more place I wanted to show you, Kellyn," Rhythmi said. She started walking to the other end of the schoolyard (she didn't drag me, thank God). I followed her down a long flight of stairs. At the bottom was a small field with a stone carving of the Ranger symbol. "This is Ascension Square."

I raised my eyebrows. "I can't say I'm not impressed. What's that rock thing for?"

"That's the Pledge Stone. They call it that because that's where graduates write their pledges before they leave." Suddenly, the bell rang. "Uh-oh!" Rhythmi said. "We'd better get back t

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol no i didn't forget to end the chapter, that is the end. just making sure. hope you're liking it so far. i wrote it a while ago and it's kind of trash


	4. Chapter Three

Monday, April 21

Okay, here's why I left the word "to" half-finished. I heard someone coming over and looked up to see Keith. I closed my journal and slid it under my pillow for fear he would mock it and call it a diary again, But instead, he sat down on my bed, yawned, and draped his arm around my shoulders as if he did it every day. "Hey, Kellyn."

I was slightly taken aback. "Um, hi."

He looked at me. "I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?"

I paused, then shook my head. "Nah. My best friend does--did this to me all the time."

Keith nodded. "He the one who wrote the letter that's in your journal?"

"So you're treating me like a human now."

He shrugged. "I see no reason not to. You've proved your worth." He noticed my headphones and flicked the cord. "Whatcha listening to?"

"Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots."

"Never heard it."

I removed my left earbud and stuck it in his ear. His face suddenly lit up with recognition. "Oh, THIS song!" He started bopping his head to the beat and did so until the music stopped. "It's a good song." He handed me the earbud.

"It's not a good song, it's a FABULOUS song." I snapped my fingers in his face.

"Anyway..." He stood up and grinned at me. "You're not tired, are you?"

Outside the dorm, Rhythmi and two other students were waiting for us. "What took you so long?" one muttered.

"Oh, stuff and things," Keith said. "Be glad I brought him."

I raised an eyebrow. "...What's going on?"

Keith turned to me. "So Kellyn. Remember when I said you've proved your worth? Well, not to these guys and the rest of the Ranger School's student body. We've got to send you on your initiation. Your test of courage, ya know? Rhythmi, explain how it works."

Rhythmi leaned back against a table and began reciting. "The four of us have hidden our School Stylers somewhere in the building. None outside, since that would set off the alarms. Your task is to find them and go place them in front of the door to the basement office. And since it's dangerous we've tapped Keith to accompany you."

"Why me?!" Keith whined.

Rhythmi folded her arms. "Maybe if you had brought him sooner, I would have come. Now begone!" Keith sighed and started down the stairs. I followed him.

The school was dark downstairs, illuminated only by the exit signs and the lights outside. "This place is hella creepy at night," Keith mumbled. "Hurry up and find the Stylers, okay?"

I grinned at him. "Aww, is widdle Keith scared of the dark?"

He blushed. "I-I dare you to say that again."

"Let's go to the library first," I suggested. I turned to the left, but before I could start walking, Keith screamed. I spun around. "Keep it down! Do you want to wake everyone?!" Then I noticed the Bidoof at his feet. I unclipped my Styler and captured it.

"A g-ghost..." Keith said, grabbing my arm.

"Keith, it's just a Bidoof. Can we go to the Library now?"

I was glad I caught the Bidoof, because there was a wooden crate between me and Styler #1. I drew a line from Bidoof to the crate. Bidoof demolished it and ran off. I went to the back of the Library and retrieved the Styler. "One down, three to go."

The next room was the Staff Room. "Okay," Keith said. "Here's a hint: the Styler we hid in this room doesn't stay still."

I glanced around the room and saw a Pichu scampering around the room. I unclipped my Styler and started chasing it. It proved to be hard to catch up to, so I decided to ask Keith a question. "Hey, Keith?"

He was leaning against the wall near the door. "Yeah?"

"What's going on between Rhythmi and Isaac?"

He looked up. "Funny you should ask that. Since you're having a hard time with that Pichu, I can tell you the whole story. So Rhyth and I have been here, what, two weeks? We actually got here on the same day. And for a couple days I thought she liked me, so I stayed away from her. But then Kate told me she actually likes Isaac, and I started noticing how awkward they are around each other, and then I'm like 'yep, they like each other'."

"Wait, whoa. Who the hell is Kate?" I thought I was close enough to the Pichu and pressed the button on the Styler, but it ran away. I rolled my eyes and started chasing it again.

"Kate? She graduated Saturday. Good riddance, too. She's got a creepy crush on me. She's been assigned to Vientown, though. Unfortunately, since it's right around the corner." He paused. "Can you hurry up and catch that thing?"

"I'm trying!" Frustrated, I hopped up on the conference table and started drawing loops. I spent about a minute running around on the table drawing loops and accidentally hitting Keith with my Capture Disc a couple of times. Finally, a pink bubble formed around the Pichu and popped. It handed over the second Styler and scapered away.

I jumped off the table and held up the Styler. "Got the second one."

"Took you long enough," Keith said. "Let's go to Mr. Kincaid's room next." 

Mr. Kincaid's room was full of crates. I couldn't see a Styler anywhere. I sighed and looked over at Keith. "It's in one of the crates, isn't it?"

"Mm-hm," Keith said. "Start catching some Bidoof."

I ended up smashing every single crate and the Styler was in the last one I broke. As I walked out of the room, I noticed Keith smirking, so I punched him on the arm.

"The last one is in our classroom." Keith led me into Ms. April's room. "Wow, even in here it's creepy..."

I couldn't argue with that. The final Styler was on the back counter, and the path to it was blocked by Pokemon. I ducked and ran through the crowd to grab the Styler, but on my way back I was ambushed by a Zubat. I whipped out my Styler, captured it, released it, and hurried out of the room.

"Now we just have to go to the basement and leave them in front of the office," Keith said.

"How are you four going to get your Stylers back?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno. it's my first time running the test. Can you hurry up?"

If the first floor of the school was creepy at night, the basement was far worse. I couldn't see a thing as I walked through it save for a dim light coming from what was probably the basement office. I started walking towards the light and saw a door that was open slightly. I placed the four Stylers in front of the door, and then I heard something move.

Keith squealed, hid behind me, and hugged me around the neck. "It's a ghost! It's a ghost!" Sure enough, four Gastly came flying at me. I grabbed my Styler and started drawing loops. It took me about three minutes to catch all four of them. They made it hard by teleporting to just about everywhere in the basement, Finally, though, I captured the last one.

Keith let go of me. "Thanks, Kellyn," he said, breathing heavily.

I grinned. "That's what Rangers do. Protect the scared little citizens."

But before Keith could smack me, the door to the basement office opened, and Mr. Kincaid was on the other side. "WHO'S THERE?!?" he hollered.

My heart jumped, and I reflexively made a run for the exit. "The basement is off limits to everyone but myself!" he called after us. But thankfully, we were already up the stairs.


	5. Chapter Four

Tuesday, May 12

So Outdoor Class was today. We all gathered around the Pledge Stone. A Vientown Ranger named Crawford came in to teach the class. "I thought up 37 questions to ask the Ranger," Keith said proudly, holding up a list of said questions.

Rhythmi crossed her arms. "Keith. Really."

"Everybody shut up!" the Ranger yelled. He had a puffy brown afro, the official Ranger uniform, and a mischevious grin that rivaled Keith's.

"Students, this is Crawford," Ms. April explained. "He's a Pokemon Ranger from Vientown."

"Hey," Crawford said. "I'm Crawford."

"Yeah, we noticed," Rhythmi muttered.

Crawford performed his Ranger pose for us. He laughed, tossed his Styler in the air, caught it, and pointed it at the sky. "Class, this is a Ranger pose," Ms. April explained. "You should each develop your own. Now, does anyone have any questions for the Ranger?"

Keith's hand shot up. "I do! Question one: what Pokemon is the hardest to capture?"

"Hmm..." Crawford paused to think. "I'd say Beedrill because it keeps flying around everywhere."

Keith glanced back at his list. "Okay, question two: how-"

"Keith, one question each, please," Ms. April said.

Keith shut his mouth and put his arms back at his sides, clearly disappointed.

Rhythmi raised her hand. “Ranger, do you think I’ll be a good Operator?”

Crawford looked carefully at her. “Well, I don’t really know you as a person. But sure! I think you’ll make a great Operator.” He flashed a grin, and Rhythmi swooned. Keith and I looked at her, then looked at each other. We locked eyes for a second, then Keith crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

Crawford went around the semicircle of students arranged around him. Each asked a relatively stupid question. Then he came to me. “Do you have a question?”

I didn’t have one ready, so I thought about it for a moment. Then I came up with the question I knew I wanted to ask. “Is it fun being a Ranger?”

He smiled a genuine smile. “Hell yes. It’s the best job ever.”

Suddenly, his Styler made a noise. Crawford pushed a button and a gruff voice came out of it. “Voicemail! Voicemail!”

Crawford held his Styler up to his face and spoke into it. “Yeah, Barlow?”

“A Mantine is in trouble in Puel Sea. We’re sending a boat to the Ranger School to pick you up and bring you out.”

“Got it.” Crawford pushed the button again and clipped his Styler back to his belt. “Well, students, I’m very sorry, but I’m going to have to cut this Outdoor Class short.” A motor boat pulled up to the school’s dock and Crawford ran off towards it. “Good luck, everyone!”

“Wow,” someone said. “A real Mission!”

“Alright, everyone,” Ms. April said. “Let’s go back to class.” Everyone followed her up the stairs, except Keith and Rhythmi. I hung back with them to see what they were up to.

“I’ve still got 36 unanswered questions, but I think I’m going to answer them myself,” Keith declared.

“And I’m going to be the best Operator I can be!” Rhythmi added. “What about you, Kellyn?”

“Hmm…” I thought about it for a few seconds. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep people and Pokemon safe.”

Rhythmi glanced over to the Pledge Stone. “We should make a pledge,” she suggested, putting her right arm out in front of her.

I placed my right hand on top of hers, and Keith placed his on mine. “Let’s all work as hard as we can to achieve these goals and not let anything stop us,” I said.

“Hands up on the count of three!” Keith said. “One, two, three!” Our hands went up. We all cheered and headed back to class.

* * *

Janice tapped on the door and opened it. “Mail call!”

“Ooh, mail!” Keith vaulted off his top-bunk bed and took the stack from Janice’s hand. “Thanks, Janice!”

“No problem.” She smiled and shut the door.

“Now let’s see…” Keith shuffled the pile around, then grabbed the first one. “Ponte, this one’s yours.”

Ponte had been lying in bed and staring off into space when Keith called hum. He glanced over at Keith. “Toss it to me.”

Keith tossed it at Ponte’s outstretched hand, but it missed by an inch and hit the wall next to him. He picked it up and opened it listlessly.

He read off a couple more names, and the student the letter belonged to got up to retrieve their mail. “Kellyn, you got two letters,” he said. He walked over to me and placed them in my hand, then grinned and returned to the door. I wondered what all that was about, then stopped wondering and had a look at the letters. One was from Lilly and the other was from Hunter. I opened the one from Lilly first.

 

Dear Kellyn,

I hope you’re doing well in school! Mom and Dad have been talking about moving to Almia so we can be closer to you. Wouldn’t that be great?

Love,

Lilly

 

Moving to Almia? I didn’t even know where I was going to be assigned after I finished school. Besides, what about my friends? I’d already left them. If my family left too, I might never have a reason to visit. And Hannah… Damn, I missed her. I made up my mind to write her a letter telling her how I felt. I wondered why I had waited until I was so far away from home to decide it had to be done.

The letter from Hunter was longer than Lilly’s; it was at least a couple of pages. I set aside the envelope and started reading.

 

Hey, Kellyn.

So how are you? Climbing the ranks of Dante’s Inferno or nah? Life’s pretty boring back here without you. Well, at least it is for me. Video games. School. The like. Hamburg’s practically throwing a party now that your parents are thinking of leaving. I wonder what’s going to happen to all your farmland once you guys are gone. With our luck, Hamburg’ll buy it and take over the whole town.

Anyway, Solana became a Ringtown Ranger. After you left, she gained this interest in Rangers and asked her parents if she could go to Ranger School, but they said no. So instead, she decided to beg Spenser, Ringtown’s Ranger leader, to let her become a Ranger, and he said yes, so she took the job. she still comes back here on patrol to say hi to us.

Oh, and I really hate to be the one to tell you this (I want to barf up my guts thinking of how it would feel to hear this if I were you), but

ah shit I can’t do it.

Wait, no, I have to. Hannah and Ben hooked up about a week ago, and they’re looking kind of tight. I’ll spare you the rest. I’m really sorry, man. Anyway, I hope you’re doing alright and hope you write back. I know that’s a shitty thing to have to say and I’m really sorry. Take care, okay?

Your friend,

Hunter

 

What.

In that moment, the only thing I felt was pure anger. Ben KNEW I liked Hannah. I clearly remembered telling him back when I first started liking her. Why would he do that? What gave him the right to just--

I took several deep breaths, then got out of bed, crumpled up the letter, hurled it into the trash can for a three-point basket, and stormed out of the dorm. I sat down at a table, breathing heavily.

Janice, who was mopping the floors, hurried over and sat down next to me. “Kellyn, honey, what’s wrong?”

“Everything,” I said flatly. “The universe is collapsing in on me.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“One of my best friends decided to up and date my crush.”

“Oh, that’s the worst.” she patted my shoulder reassuringly. “But it’s not the end of the world.”

“It damn well feels like it,” I muttered.

The door to the boy’s dorm slid open and Keith came running out. “Kellyn, are you all right?”

I crossed my arms. “Hmph.”

“Girl troubles,” Janice explained. I love how she assumes I’m talking about a girl.

“Aww, that sucks.” He gave me a quick hug and took the seat Janice wasn’t in. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” I said.

“Well, do you at least want to go back into the dorm? I promise nobody thinks you’re psycho.”

“Fine.” Keith grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I followed him into the dorm.

“Goodnight, boys!” Janice called after us.

“‘Night, Janice,” Keith said as the door shut.


	6. Chapter Five

Friday, May 29

I slept through most of Ms. April’s class today. When I woke up, she was saying something about Rangers and Operators working together and how she had two Capture Stylers Lamont himself had to personally ask for from the Ranger Union. “Rhythmi, I’m going to have you play the part of the Operator. And I was going to have Keith play the Ranger, but it looks like he’s not here, so… Kellyn! Glad you’re awake. How’d you like to be the Ranger?”

I yawned and stretched my arms out. “Sure, why not.”

She handed me one Styler and Rhythmi the other. I examined it carefully. On the left side was a button that wasn’t on my School Styler. It had a Wi-Fi symbol on it and was surrounded by speaker holes. This was probably the Voicemail button. I turned the device over in my hands, trying to familiarize myself with it.

Suddenly, the door opened and Kincaid was on the other side of it. “April!” he boomed. “A whole box of School Stylers went missing, and I have reason to believe your Keith did it!”

“WHAT!” Rhythmi sprang up from her seat, sending her chair hurtling towards the back wall, which it hit with a loud clack. “Keith may be a lazy prick, but he’s no thief!”

Ms. April raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to have to agree with Rhythmi,” she said. “You have no such reason to accuse Keith of stealing the Stylers. Isn’t that your whole mantra anyway? ‘Don’t cast suspicion on others without proof’?”

Mr. Kincaid crossed his arms. “I have PLENTY of proof!” he said matter-of-factly. “For one thing, why isn’t he in your class today?”

Rhythmi walked over to my desk and pulled me up to my feet. “Kellyn! We have Stylers with the Voicemail feature enabled. Why don’t we work together to prove Keith innocent?”

I yawned again. “Sure.”

“Then let’s go!” She dragged me out the door, pushing Mr. Kincaid out of the way.

“All right,” I said. “What’s the plan?”

“I’ll search inside the school. You go outside. And if you see anything…” She held up her Styler and tapped the Voicemail button. “Okay?”

“Got it.” I gave her a fistbump and left the building.

I looked around and saw a School Styler in the middle of the courtyard. This must be one of the stolen Stylers! I picked it up, pocketed it, and pushed the Voicemail button on my Capture Styler. “Voicemail! Voicemail! Rhythmi, can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” the speaker crackled.

“I found a Styler in the courtyard. I’m going to head down to the gate to see if we can catch our thief.”

“Thanks, Kellyn. I’ll meet you there.” There was a click, and the voicemail mode was deactivated. I hurried down the steps to encounter an amusing scene: A man in his late twenties running in circles; a Slakoth chasing him; an overturned cardboard box surrounded by School Stylers; Keith running up the path that led to Vientown, flashing his trademark grin. “Hey, Kellyn.”

I smiled. “Uh, hi. So, who stole the Stylers?”

“That loser.” Keith pointed to the man the Slakoth was in pursuit of. “I was just blocking the bridge so he can’t leave. What are you doing?”

“Trying to prove your innocence. Mr. Kinturd thinks you stole them.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “What the hell would I want with a bunch of School Stylers?”

“Help me! H-help!” the man squealed. I could tell he was losing energy.

I shrugged. “Looks like I have to take care of this.” I quickly caught the Slakoth and released it once it was calm.

Rhythmi trotted down the stairs with Ms. April and Mr. Kincaid in tow. “So who’s the real culprit?” Ms. April asked.

“This guy,” Keith and I said simultaneously.

“Oh, really?” Ms. April crossed her arms and glared at the guy.

He started bawling. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I-I’ve always wanted to be a Ranger, but I never had the chance…”

Ms. April’s gaze softened. “Well, you could always take our entrance exam. Age doesn’t matter at the Ranger School.

He sniffed. “Really?”

She smiled warmly. “Yeah! Just help us pick up all these Stylers and I’ll bring you in to Principal Lamont to discuss your admission.” She turned to Mr. Kincaid. “See! I TOLD you it wasn’t Keith!”

Mr. Kincaid narrowed his eyes. “Hmph.”

“I think you owe Keith an apology.”

“I am very sorry, Keith,” Mr. Kincaid muttered.

“Thank you,” Ms. April said. “Now help us pick up these Stylers, you accusatory dick.”

*

Dear Kellyn,

Mom and Dad found a house in Chicole Village. It’s just south of Vientown, which is near where you go to school. We even get our own field! We’ll never have to worry about competing with Hamburg ever again! Hope I see you soon!

Love,

Lilly

*

Hey Kellyn.

Thanks for writing back. I honestly thought you wouldn’t. I did try to ream Ben out for jumping on your girl, but I’ll spare you from what he came back at me with.

Your parents are definitely moving out to Almia to join you. Hamburg’s already put his sausage fingers on the farmland they’re leaving behind. The council voted to build a wall around the town to keep him the hell out, but that’s just going to make the place feel even more like a prison. You’ll visit us even after they leave, right?

Hunter

*

RANGER SCHOOL RANK 4 STUDENTS

ONE-DAY INTERNSHIP ASSIGNMENTS

JUNE 15, 2009

 

Region | Location | Students Assigned to this Location

Almia | Vientown | Kellyn, Keith

Almia | Ranger Union | Rhythmi, Maria

Almia | Altru Tower | Isaac

Fiore | Ringtown | Ponte, Laura

Fiore | Summerland | Martin, David

Fiore | Fall City | Joe, Leah

Fiore | Wintown | Kurt, Chris


	7. Chapter Six

Monday, June 15

"It's so cool how we're going to the same place." Keith propped his arm up on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I echoed. "It would be even cooler if we got assigned to the same place after school. You, me and Rhythmi."

Keith moved his arm. "But why of all places in the Union Triangle did we have to be assigned to Vientown? As in the Ranger Base that Kate is assigned to?"

"I'm interested to meet this Kate character," I mused.

"You shouldn't be. You'll regret it the millisecond you meet her."

A few minutes later, we reached Vientown. In the center of town was a red building with plants growing out of the roof, presumably the Ranger Base. The town also contained two houses and one barn with a farmyard, which was populated by a snoring Miltank. "It's a cute little town," I said.

"Yeah, but Kate ruined it with her ugly face."

I rolled my eyes. "Will you shut up about Kate? I bet she's not even that bad."

Keith scoffed. "Wait until you meet her!" I punched him. "Ow!"

The base was empty except for the purple-haired Operator. "Hello!" she said as we entered. "You must be Kellyn and Keith. We have a Mission ready for you."

Keith's eyes widened like those of a kid who had come downstairs on Christmas to find a pile of presents stacked higher than the tree. "Really? A Mission?"

"Yep!" She produced a package from under the desk. "The Base's staff are at Breeze Hill. Just go through Nabiki Beach and it's up a set of stairs. Deliver this important package to them. Don't drop it or turn it upside down, and do NOT open it!" She gave me the package. "Good luck!"

"Th-thank you," Keith stuttered.

I left the base followed by a shell-shocked Keith. A quick glance around the town showed that the beach was located west of the Ranger Base. "This way," I said. Keith followed robotically.

A rustic sign was placed at the beginning of the path to the beach. "Nabiki Beach," I read. "Those who meet here become good partners" As if to justify the sign, a boy and girl a couple years older than Keith and I sat by the water sucking the faces off of each other. I wrinkled my nose. "Ew."

Keith's reaction was similar. "Why don't we just... pretend that isn't there?" We silently agreed and walked awkwardly past the couple.

We walked up a set of stairs and saw another sign denoting the location of Breeze Hill. "We're here..." Keith's breathing grew heavier. "I wonder what's-"

I grabbed his arm and started up the stairs. "Keith, this isn't the time for a panic attack!"

Waiting for us at the top of the hill were five people: four in Ranger uniforms and one in red overalls with a tool belt around her waist; the Mechanic. There were two male Rangers: Crawford from Outdoor Classs and a big, dark-skinned guy with red and blonde dreadlocks sprouting from his head like an Oddish's grass tuft. There were also two female Rangers: one with short, dark hair that flipped up and one with brown pigtails atop her head. Pigtails' eyes widened and she sprang up. "Keith!" She threw herself at said guy, knocking him to the ground.

I noticed the picnic blanket under the remaining Rangers. "Um... here's the important package," I said awkwardly.

The other girl hopped up and accepted the package. "Thanks... if that's Keith, you must be Kellyn?"

"Yeah."

Pigtails got off of Keith and returned to the picnic blanket. "Yes! Lunchtime! Took you noobs long enough."

I raised an eyebrow. "Lunchtime?"

"Yep!" She tore open the package. "You just brought us our lunch!"

I facepalmed. THAT's the "important package" we had to bring?! But I had a seat on the blanket, because I was hungry.

"Okay, introductions!" Crawford said. "I'm Crawford. You know me."

"I'm Luana," the dark haired girl said.

"I'm Elaine," said the Mechanic.

"Barlow," the other guy said.

"And I'm Kate!" Pigtails chirped.

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, so you're the famous Kate?"

She turned tomato red and giggled. "Famous? Uh..." Wow, what a stereotypical teenage girl. No wonder Keith can't stand her.

"So," Luana said. "What did you think of our traditional lunch prank?"

I shrugged. "Well, you managed to scare the shit out of Keith. Not that that's a major accomplishment." Keith elbowed me in the side.

Kate giggled for the thirty-second time since I'd met her. "I remember bringing the lunches on my one-day internship."

"Good for you, Kate," Keith mumbled.

"I dropped the package-" how, were you too busy giggling to hold onto it? "and the sandwiches got all mushy..."

"Nobody cares, Kate," Keith said, maintaining his tone.

Suddenly, we heard footsteps on the stairs. "Help!" a masculine voice said. "Rangers!"

Everyone spun around to look at the source of the voice. "You rang?" Crawford said, a mischievous grin on his face.

It was the kid who, until recently, had been making out with his girl on the beach. "Pokemon are going crazy! They've surrounded my girlfriend!"

Barlow sighed. "Crawford, you do this. Why don't you take Kellyn and Keith with you? We'll call this a Rookie Mission."

Keith's eyes lit up. "A real real mission?"

I rolled my eyes. "Why are you still sitting there?"

The situation on the beach was much as the beach boy had described it: the beach girl was trapped in a ring of excited Pokemon- a Starly, a Munchlax, and a Pachirisu. "We'll each capture one and release it once it's calmed down," Crawford said. "I got the Starly."

"I'll take this blue thing." Keith trotted over to the Munchlax and initiated the capture.

I shrugged. "...I guess that leaves the Pachirisu?" I pushed the button on my Styler and started capturing. She was a relatively easy capture, but it would have been easier if she would stand still for half a second and stop breaking my Capture Line. Crawford and Keith finished their captures about a minute before I did. Upon its completion, the Pachirisu vaulted onto my shoulder and rubbed its head against my ear, squeaking happily. "Aww, you're so cute!" I gave it a scratch, which was followed by an electric shock. "Agh!"

"I think it likes you," Keith said, patting its head. "It might want to be your Partner Pokemon."

Crawford sighed. "Well, unfortunately, Kellyn, students at the Ranger School aren't allowed to have Partner Pokemon. You're going to have to release it."

I rolled my eyes. "You sound like that weirdo nature guy who wouldn't let me bring my iPod on the camping trip." I picked up the Pachirisu and placed it on the ground. "But rules are rules. You gotta go, little guy."

She chirped as if to say "Okay!", then scampered off into the bushes.

Keith patted my shoulder. "Sorry, Kellyn."

I shook my head. "Nah, it's fine."

"Thanks, Rangers," the boy said. His girlfriend kissed him on the cheek.

Crawford grinned. "It's what we do." He pushed the voicemail button on his Styler. "Voicemail! Voicemail! Crawford calling. Barlow, we have successfully released the Pokemon. Is this Mission clear?"

"Clear as day," came the reply. "Now come eat."

"Mission Clear, kids," Crawford repeated. "Do your Ranger Pose."

I hadn't yet developed mine, but it was probably now or never. I pushed the capture button on my Styler enough for the antenna to shoot out, then pointed it to the sky, my free hand resting on my hip.

"Good job," Crawford said. "Lunchtime."

* *

Keith, Isaac, and I were alone in the dorm that night. Technically, our internships were only supposed to last one day, but with all the students traveling to Fiore, it wasn't realistic.

It wasn't normal for Isaac to be in the dorm at this particular time of night. He wanted to sleep, but we made him play some of Janice's lame board games with us. "Sorry, Keith." I flicked his blue piece back to his Start with my index finger.

"Kellyn, you suck." He picked up the piece I'd kicked his out with and pitched it into the trash. "Whoops. I guess this game's over." Isaac smirked.

"All right, well screw board games. Keith's just going to mess up any we try to play," I said. "We're graduating soon. How d'you guys feel about that?"

"As long as I don't get assigned to Vientown-" I punched Keith before he could mention Kate.

"Altru Inc.'s already offered me a position," Isaac said.

"Wow, that's cool. But, uh, what's Altru Inc. again?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Stupid Fiore kids," Keith said snidely.

"Shut up, Keith."

"Well," Isaac explained, ignoring our exchange, "they've been around for a hundred years inventing new ways to produce energy. They want me to help with their work on a top-secret project."

Keith became intrigued. "Ooh. A top-secret project."

Someone knocked on the door but didn't open it. "Yeah, Janice?" Keith yelled.

"I'm not freakin' Janice, Keith!" Rhythmi replied. "Kellyn, can you come out here? I have something to tell you."

"Sure." I stood up and walked out the door.

Keith followed me out, sat at a table and folded his hands. "What's up, Rhythmi?"

"None of your business," she said. "Go away."

Keith gasped and dramatically placed a hand on his chest. "Rhythmi! After all we've been through!"

"Let's go to the Library, Kellyn," Rhythmi suggested.

"Won't that little 'SHH!' bitch tell us to shut up, though?"

"She's in Fiore."

"Okay, fine." We went down to the library. Keith didn't follow.

I slid into a chair at the table closest to the door. "So, what's up, Rhythmi?"

She smiled giddily. "You... you know Isaac?"

"No," I said sarcastically. "Yes, of course I know Isaac. This school isn't that big."

"Well, uh... he kissed me."

My jaw hit the floor. "What?! When?"

She giggled. "His assignment was on the way to mine, so we walked together, and he did it before he went into his..."

I had, obviously, never been kissed. "How was it?"

"It was kind of weird... But it was nice."

"You guys would be really cute together, you know."

"You really think so?"

I smiled. "Yep."

She shook her head furiously. "But you can't tell anyone, okay? Especially not Keith."

I gave her a thumbs-up. "You can count on me."

*

I slid the door to the dorm shut behind me. "So, Isaac. What's it like swapping spit with Rhythmi?"

 

"KELLYN!"


	8. Chapter Seven

Friday, June 19

Rhythmi didn't talk to me after that until Wednesday. We managed to keep Keith's mouth shut with a heaping amount of candy, and things were (mostly) back to normal in time for our graduation party last night. (Well, technically, it's still night. It's one in the morning. The party started at 7 last night and ended about half an hour ago.)

Barlow came in to DJ the event. Janice set up pretty disco lights in the hallway and plenty of junk food to satisfy our whims.

I'm not really much of a dancer, so I just hung around the snack table and stuffed my face with salt and vinegar chips. During the slow songs, Keith would join me and we laughed as Rhyth and Isaac stepped on each other's toes.

Ponte lost a bet and had to ask Laura to dance. It was incredibly awkward. She didn't seem too happy to find that her dancing with Ponte was the result of a lost bet.

I personally couldn't figure out why all the girls obsessed over the slow songs. I thought slow-dancing was stupid. Most of the music sucked, but when they played "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind, I teleported to the middle of the dance floor and started rocking out. Kie and Rhythmi quickly joined me. It was probably my favorite part of the night.

...well, except maybe when I slow-danced with Keith... Arceus. I wasn't going to write about that. It was just really sweet and he was such a gentleman and argh I don't even know what to think about it so I'll probably just rip this entry out and go to sleep.

Friday, June 19 (again)

It's over. My old life at home, my life at the Ranger School. I feel like I'm floating between two phases of my life in complete darkness. My home technically isn't mine anymore. The room I'm sitting in is technically mine, but I don't think it will ever be mine. But enough with this fluffy poetry shit. Why don't we talk about what's happened since I last wrote in this thing?

I went to sleep, eventually. They let us sleep late and served breakfast at ten. Rank 5 students didn't have any classes today, mostly so we could pack our belongings. Once we were packed, though, we were unsupervised until the graduation ceremony at 6pm. Mass shitty middle school party games ensued, starting with Spin the Bottle. I tried to avoid participating, but Rhythmi dragged me to a seat in the circle next to her. I don't really remember who kissed whom, but I do remember that when a girl's spin landed on another girl, the only person to react adversely received glares of disapproval from the group.

Truth or Dare was far more interesting. I volunteered to go first. "Keith," I said. "I dare you to try to capture Ponte."

A murmur of interest went around the circle. Keith grinned, stood up, and unclipped his Styler. "Wait, why me?" Ponte whined.

"Lucky guess," I said, smirking. I sat back, ready to watch the fireworks.

Ponte curled up into an uncomfortable ball as Keith began to draw loops around him. The smug look on Keith's face quickly turned to one of frustration. "Why won't this damn gauge fill up?!"

"You have to want it, Ponte!" someone cheered.

"Yeah, dude," I chimed in. "Just relax."

The ball of Ponte groaned and became slightly less tense. Keith completed the capture about ten seconds later. Ponte uncurled himself into a seated position, then proceeded to keel over, his eyes glazing.

"Shit," I said. "Is he okay?"

Isaac produced his laptop and spent a moment typing, then started reading from the screen. "Capturing humans with a Styler. While possible, it is not recommended. Humans captured with Stylers exhibit symptoms similar to those observed after ingestion of lysergic acid diethylamide or psilocybin mushrooms.

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Can you say that again in English?"

"That was English."

"Not that English. Normal-person English."

Isaac formed air-quotes with his fingers. "He's 'tripping on acid'."

I facepalmed. "Sorry, Ponte."

"I've seen the light!" Ponte hollered, a delirious expression on his face.

"He's probably going to be able to sleep it off," Isaac continued. "Kellyn and Keith, you should carry him to bed, since this is your fault."

Keith crossed his arms. "My fault? Kellyn's the one who gave me the dare!"

"And you're the one who accepted it," Isaac snapped. "So unless you want someone to find out Ponte's been drugged up by misuse of school property, carry his ass to bed!"

"Arceus, when'd you get so damn angry?" Keith squatted down next to Ponte's head and picked him up by his underarms. "Kellyn, get his legs."

I shrugged and obeyed. "You'd be irritable too if you stayed up as late as Isaac does. Have you ever seen the guy sleep?"

Keith sighed. "Never?"

We unloaded Ponte onto his bed and rejoined the circle. "Your turn, Keith."

*

Mr. Kincaid looked down at the piece of paper in his hand. "The Ranger School's Graduation Ceremony will now commence, First, Principal Lamont's congratulatory remarks." The unenthusiasm in his voice was as evident as the tension in the air between Isaac and Rhythmi.

A smiling Lamont took the microphone. "Congratulations, graduates! I am truly delighted to be here with all of you. Rangers, Operators, Mechanics, and Scientists. Though these paths may take you in different directions, what I hope for all of you is the same. Don't worry, I'm not going to say anything impossibly difficult or challenging. Please just don't forget to smile. With these simple words I wish you the very best of luck in all your endeavors." Lamont ended his speech to unanimous applause.

"Thank you, Principal Lamont," Kincaid said as if reading the phone book. "Next, let me call upon insert name here- I'm sorry, I mean Isaac, this graduating class' valedictorian."

"Yeah, Isaac!" Keith whooped and stomped his feet like a Donphan as Isaac ascended the stage.

Isaac took a deep breath and started to speak. "Today we leave the shelter of this place of learning and nurturing. It is a giant step for us in our pursuits of our long-held dreams. To the teachers who inspired us... To Janice who was a mother to us all... To the Pokemon that loved us... We will never forget. Thank you so very, very much from all of us!"

Keith sniffed and wiped away an imaginary tear. I sniggered.

"Isaac, thank you for those most moving words," Kincaid continued. "Next, the conferring of the graduation certificates"

One by one, we went up to receive our certificates. I had never seen my name written in such fancy type.

"Kincaid?" Ms. April tapped him on the shoulder. "Mr. Kincaid, are you awake?"

Mr. Kincaid flinched. "Huh? What?"

"Move over, you idiot. I have to call upon the class representative." Kincaid obliged, and Ms. April adjusted the height of the microphone to her needs. Keith cleared his throat loudly in order to conceal the forthcoming "Kincaid is a moron."

"I would like to call upon the representative of this graduating class," Ms. April said into the microphone. "Kellyn, please come forward."

I was confused. "Me?"

Keith shoved me towards the stage. "Go, doofus!" I stepped up to the platform. Ms. April hugged me and guided me towards the microphone.

"Yeah, Kellyn!" Looking towards the back of the room, I saw Lilly standing atop Dad's shoulders. Mom stood next to them, holding a large card. I smiled and waved to them, then grabbed the microphone.

"This is an honor," I said. "I-"

THUD.

It came from the basement office. A murmur of panic went through the crowd. Kincaid took the microphone from me. "I'll just go downstairs and see what it is," he attempted to reassure everyone. "It's probably nothing." He stepped over the orange-striped barricades and hurried down the stairs.

Ten awkward seconds later, he screamed like a demon and emerged sprinting, tailed by the two biggest Pokemon I'd ever seen. "H-help me!" he squealed.

"Kellyn!" Ms. April shouted. "Are you ready to perform a capture?"

I looked at the giant Pokemon in horror. "Both of them?!"

Keith sprang up. "I'll help! I'll get this one. You focus on that one, okay?"

I gave him a thumbs-up and unclipped my Styler. We quickly subdued the Pokemon. The Browser registered it as Tangrowth.

The crowd parted so we could get outside to release the Pokemon. We opened the front doors wide, and the Tangrowth exited. One turned and waved to us with an appendage. I smiled and waved back, then Keith and I closed the doors.

We reentered the building to cheers. Ms. April invited us both to the stage. "Do I still have to ad-lib a speech?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I think that capture speaks for itself. You remained calm in the face of crisis, and you worked alongside Keith for once instead of competing with him. You're the obvious choice for representative.

"Thanks, Ms. April." I hugged her, then took the microphone. "There is one thing I'd like to say. You guys are all awesome and it's been great going to school with you. I'll miss you all."

"Awww, Kellyn." Keith picked me up by my waist and threw me over his shoulders.

I felt the microphone being removed from my hand. "In conclusion," Mr. Kincaid droned, "the Ranger School is proud of all of our graduates and wishes all of them the best of luck. Refreshments will be served for the next half-hour."

Keith put me down. "I gotta go say hi to my parents," I said.

"I'm coming!" Keith followed me off the stage.

"Me too!" Rhythmi hopped out of her seat and ran to join us.

I ran to my parents. Lilly jumped into my arms. "Kellyn!"

I hugged back, then put her down and tousled her hair. "Have you grown?" She giggled.

I hugged my dad, who picked me up briefly, and then my mom. She handed me the large card I'd seen her holding from the stage. "Your friends made you this."

I took the card. On the front, "CONGRATS" was written in giant block letters. I opened it to see the signatures of my friends: Hunter wrote "Congrats, dude! Come visit soon"; Solana wrote "I hope to work with you sometime!"; Hannah wrote "Congrats and good luck :)"; and Ben just wrote his name in small, black letters. I rolled my eyes. Asshole.

"Who are your friends?" Dad asked.

"Family, this is Keith and Rhythmi." I stepped back and propped my arms up on their shoulders.

Lilly started tugging on Dad's sleeve. "Daddy, Daddy! We gotta show Kellyn the house!"

Dad picked her up and she squealed. "Want to head home?" Dad said.

"You guys start. I'll catch up to you." I stepped forward and turned around to face my friends. "So I guess this is it?"

"I'm sure we'll see each other again," Rhythmi said. "Where are you assigned to?"

"I'm assigned to Vientown." I brought out the air-quotes. "Close to 'home'."

"I'm assigned to Summerland in Fiore," Rhythmi stated. "What about you, Keith?"

"Ringtown," he said simply.

"Oh, hey," I said. "My friend Solana is a Ringtown Ranger. Tell her I said hi, okay?"

Keith grinned. "You got it."

"I'd better be off." I blew out a puff of air. "I'll miss you guys."

Rhythmi stretched out her arms. "Group hug?"

I hugged them both tightly. "Good luck." I let go and headed for the doors.

"Tell Kate I said fuck you!" Keith called after me. Rhythmi smacked him. "Ow!"

I looked back and waved, then closed the door behind me.


	9. PART 2: VIENTOWN :: Chapter Eight

Saturday, June 20

"Kellyn! Kellyn, wake up!"

I groaned and rolled over onto my back to see Lilly bouncing on the edge of my bed. "You don't want to be late for your first day as a Ranger!"

I chuckled. "All right, all right. Get out of my room so I can change."

"Okay!" Lilly stomped down the stairs. I'd laid out an outfit for today: a Nirvana shirt, jeans, and Converse. I changed quickly and hurried downstairs.

Dad stood at the stove. "Want some breakfast before you leave?"

I took a seat at the kitchen table. "Of course I do."

Dad set several pancakes in front of me. I inhaled them. "You're gonna bring my suitcases over, right?"

Dad nodded. "As soon as I water the crops."

"The crops?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you? We have a few plots nearby. Lilly named it Partner Farm. I don't remember why, though."

"It's because you and Mommy are such good partners!" Lilly chirped from behind her plate of pancakes.

I stood up and pushed my chair in. "I'd better leave. Thanks for breakfast!"

"Have fun!" Lilly called after me.

I shut the door behind me and headed for Chicole Path. Luana was waiting for me at the beginning of the path. "Hi, Kellyn!" she said. "I've come to escort you to the Base since you don't have a Styler. We're glad to have you on board."

I grinned. "I'm glad to be on board."

Luana nodded. "Great. Let's move."

We walked in what was mostly a straight line from Chicole Village to the Vientown Ranger Base. Inside, we found the Base's staff: Elaine organizing her toolbox, Barlow standing at attention, and Crawford slouched against the control desk, flirting with the Operator.

"Hey, Kellyn. Hey, Luana," Crawford said, turning away from the desk.

Luana smiled. "Hi, Crawford."

I wanted to greet Crawford myself, but the Operator waved me over, so I went to the desk. "Kellyn, this is your uniform. We'd like you to wear it all the time, unless you're sleeping. There are two sets in this package, both marked with your name. On any given day, you should be wearing one and washing the other in the laundry room. Speaking of... Hey, Crawford, can you give Kellyn a tour of the quarters?"

"Sure thing," Crawford said to the Operator's planet-sized tits. "Come on, Kellyn."

Next to a door at the back of the main room was a card scanner. The door to the back room slid open and I followed Crawford in.

"Welcome to the Ranger quarters," he said. We were in an open area shaped like a rectangle. I counted ten doors: three on each of the shorter sides and four on the longer side. None of them seemed to open with a card key. A rectangular table was in the middle and had eight stools surrounding it. A kitchenette was on the wall next to the door to the front room. "Your room is there," Crawford said, pointing to a door in the middle of the right wall. "On this left wall, we have two gender-specific bathrooms and a laundry room. Why don't you go change into your uniform in your room? You'll find an ID badge in that package that you can use to open this door. Come out when you're ready."

"Got it." I went into my room and closed the door. The small room was furnished with a wooden bed, a dresser with a mirror, and a desk. I tossed the package onto the bed and ripped it open. Inside I found two uniforms in plastic packages, a tool belt with a Styler clip, and, like Crawford had said, a green foiled ID badge with my school picture, my name and date of birth, the symbol of the Ranger Union, and a barcode that I assumed was used to open the door. I changed into one of the uniforms and left the other one in its package on the dresser, then clipped on the belt and left the room.

I headed straight for the door, but jumped when I heard a feminine yawn. I turned to see Kate wearing a Skitty onesie and leaving her room. "What's for breakfast?"

I glanced at my watch. "Kate, you know it's 11:00 AM?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh my Mew... I overslept!" She turned around and ran back into her room.

"You'd better get ready, Ash Ketchum!" I called after her. I opened the door with my badge and stepped out into the front room.

"Looking snappy, Kellyn," said a grinning Barlow. "You wear that uniform well. One more thing before you become a full-fledged Ranger, though: this." He looked to the Operator, who handed him something. "Kellyn, this is your very own Capture Styler."

"Sweet!" I accepted it and clipped it to my belt.

"I'm going to assign you a Mission right off the bat," Barlow said. "You and Crawford are going to deliver our local newspaper, the Vien Tribune. It'll give you a chance to meet the locals, as well as to show your folks how spiffy you look in that uniform."

The door to the quarters whooshed open and Kate scrambled out, rushing to get her hair into her Mew-awful pigtails. "I'm sorry!!" she said frantically. "I don't know what happened, I just-"

"Whoa, Kate," Crawford said. "Chill. It's fine. Why don't you go make yourself some toast or something?"

"Don't burn it," Elaine said. It was the first time I'd seen her look up from her tools all day.

Crawford started towards the exit and motioned for me to follow him. "Let's go, Kellyn."

On the way out, Crawford picked up a bag full of papers. He handed me a rolled-up copy of the Vien Tribune. "All right, so we have to deliver these to every household in Vientown and Chicole Village. Sound good?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

"Good. Our first stop is Little Tim's and Big Bertha's. This way." He walked over to the house with the attached barn and rapped on the door. "Special delivery!"

A girl a little older than Lilly answered the door. "Mama, Papa, the Rangers are here!" I counted seven other kids who crowded around the door. The biggest woman I'd ever seen turned to face us.

"Why, hello, Crawford," she said. "And who's this with you?"

"This is Kellyn," Crawford introduced. "New recruit."

"Well, it sure is lovely to meet you, Kellyn!" She glanced up a set of stairs. "Honey, the paper's here!"

No response.

The woman walked over to Crawford and I. "Please forgive my husband. He reckons you'll have Pokemon with you, and he's deathly a-scared of 'em."

Crawford flashed his signature grin. "Not a problem, Bertha. Kellyn, give Bertha that paper."

"Okay." I handed Bertha the rolled up paper I was holding.

"Thank you, sweetie," Bertha said.

Crawford held open the door for me. "Let's roll, Kellyn."

The next stop was right next door. The house belonged to a Webster Diaz, as Crawford said. Crawford knocked on the door. "Paper!"

The door opened within a few seconds. A man who appeared to be in his late twenties stood on the other side. "Hey, Crawford, he said. "Who's this with you?"

"Kellyn," Crawford explained. "New recruit."

"Wonderful to meet you, Kellyn." Webster shook my hand and accepted his copy of the Vien Tribune. "I make signs, you know? Every sign you see in Almia was made by yours truly."

"Cool." I wasn't interested.

The next house belonged to Mr. Woodward, who, as his name suggested, was a wood carver. "At this time of day," Crawford said, "Mr. Woodward is usually taking his morning walk on Nabiki Beach. We'll find him there." Crawford and I walked silently to Nabiki Beach. An old man stood on the beach, looking out at the ocean. "Mr. Woodward!" Crawford called.

The man turned around. "Ah, Crawford! Here with my paper?"

"You know it." Crawford tossed him the paper. He caught it with one hand.

"Who's the kid?" Mr. Woodward asked as we walked towards him.

"Kellyn," I said before Crawford could open his mouth. "New recruit."

He shook my hand. "On behalf of the residents of Vientown and Chicole Village, we're glad to have you on board. So, uh--"

Crawford interrupted him, holding up a finger. "Shh, do you hear that?"

Mr. Woodward stopped talking, and we listened carefully for the sound Crawford was talking about. I quickly identified it: a rustling in the bushes behind me. I turned around to face it--too late. Something alive and furry hit me in the face, knocking me backwards onto the sand. The thing jumped off of my face and began hopping around me, squeaking a very familiar squeak. It was the Pachirisu I'd caught on my one-day internship.

Crawford broke the silence by stating the obvious: "Hey, Kellyn, I think it's the Pachirisu you caught on your one-day internship."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I said.

"It must have waited for you to become a Ranger so it could be your Partner Pokemon."

I scratched her head. "Can she?"

Crawford shrugged. "Absolutely! We can register it when we get back to the Base. Let's keep moving. We gotta show your parents your new uniform and Partner Pokemon."

I grinned and stood up. "Sounds good."

There were three other houses in Chicole Village; in one lived a young, engaged couple where the woman was obsessed with the Go-Rock Quads. I didn't understand. I remembered my dad telling me they were bad guys who wanted to take over Fiore. In another lived a very nice Skitty lady. She and Crawford had a long conversation about the weather while Pachirisu and Crawford's Budew played with her Skitty. In the third lived a single-child family where the kid liked Riolu a lot but had never actually seen one.

Our last stop of the day was my house. My parents loved my uniform, and Lilly thought Pachirisu was adorable (well, at least until it shocked her).

I gave all three of them hugs and we went back to the Base. Crawford stepped inside dramatically. "We have some news," he announced.

Kate perked up. "Are you getting married?"

I gagged. "Ugh! No!"

"What the hell, Kate?!" Crawford said.

She giggled. "Sorry."

Crawford glared at her. "So, if there will be no further interruptions, I'd like to announce that Kellyn has found himself a Partner Pokemon."

Luana applauded. "Nice job, Kellyn!"

The Operator waved me over. "Kellyn, I'll need you to fill out this form to register it, okay?"

"Sure." I took the form and a gel pen from the Operator's cup. The form asked for my name, my Ranger ID number, and some basic information about the Pachirisu. As soon as I finished filling it out, the Operator's phone rang.

She answered it. "Hello?" There was some unidentifiable chatter on the other end, then the Operator said, "Yes, he's right here." She held the phone out to me. "It's for you."

I took the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, dude." It was Hunter.

"Oh, hey," I said. "What's up?"

"Not too much. Hey, I heard you graduated. Congrats."

"Thanks. Anything new back home?"

"Yeah, actually. They started building that wall I was telling you about. It's gonna be six feet tall."

"Better than fifty feet and electrified, barbed wire on top."

"Point taken, but it still kind of sucks."

"I hear you."

"Oh, by the way, Ben and Hannah broke up."

"Cool." I now realized that my feelings for Hannah had somehow dissipated in the months I'd been gone. "Might I ask what happened?"

"Might I ask if you're sure you want to know?"

The question swayed me, but not enough to convince me otherwise. "I'm pretty sure."

"They had sex."

I nearly dropped the phone. "They what."

"They screwed, they performed the horizontal mambo, they did the deet-ness--"

"No, I know what you mean, just-- seriously?"

"Believe me, I told them it was a bad idea--" I heard a static crackle and someone saying, "Just give me the damn phone already!" A couple of seconds later, the phone was under new management: Ben was now on the other end. "Hey, Kellyn, I just wanted to--"

I cut him off. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just hang up on your ass."

"Because I'm sorry, okay? I realize dating someone I knew you liked was a shitty idea, but I didn't truly get it until the sex was over and it just felt completely wrong. I feel like complete shit, okay? That's why you should listen to me."

I took a deep breath. "Okay, Ben, I forgive you. But if you ever pull shit like this again, our friendship is over."

"That's fair," he said. "I understand."

He put Hunter back on. "Little twerp made me call you so he could apologize," Hunter said.

"Ha."

"So what else is--" Someone outside screamed.

Barlow jumped to attention. "EVERYONE OUTSIDE!"

"Hey dude I'll call you back it's an emergency!" I slammed the phone onto the Operator's desk and rushed outside. Pachirisu following.

The situation outside was interesting: a girl in a Ranger School uniform rode atop a Ponyta, chanting battle cries, and a terrified old woman cowered behind Barlow.

Crawford stared incredulously. "Um, what exactly the fuck?"

Suddenly, the Ponyta enveloped itself in flame. It started bucking until the girl was thrown off. She hit the ground, screaming in pain. The Ponyta continued to gallop around excitedly, singeing the ground under it.

Barlow immediately started barking orders. "Crawford, capture the Ponyta! Luana, escort that woman to safety! Kellyn, bring the girl inside, get her to a bed, and administer first aid!"

I ran to the girl, picked her up bridal style, and ran towards the Base. Once inside, I scanned my card to open the door to the quarters and went into my room. I placed the girl on the bed.

The Operator was right behind me with the Base's massive first-aid kit. "Here," she said."

"Thanks." I placed it on the ground and opened it, surveying its contents to ensure everything I'd learned about in the mandatory first aid certification class I took at the Ranger School was in there; all of it and more was in the kit.

I turned to the girl. "Are you conscious?"

She winced. "I think so."

"Okay. Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere," she groaned.

I nodded and started peeling her burnt clothes off. I cursed Barlow for giving me this job and not Luana; I had never seen a naked girl until then.

She was covered in second-degree burns. "I'm gonna dress your burns first, okay?" I said. She didn't respond; I took that as consent. I cleaned the burns with alcohol wipes, sprayed burn spray on them, and wrapped them in gauze. The arm she'd landed on was swollen. I felt it and confirmed that her forearm was broken. "It's broken," I told her.

"Fuck," she muttered.

"I think our Mechanic has an x-ray machine," I said. "I'll go ask her." She didn't respond. I ran out into the main room, where Elaine was playing some handheld video game. "Hey, Elaine?"

She looked up. "Yeah?"

"You have an x-ray machine, right?"

"I do." She went into the Mechanic's closet and brought a cart with some machine on it. "Is she in your room?"

"Yep," I confirmed. "It's her left forearm."

She wheeled the machine into my room. "Hi," she said to the girl. "I'm Elaine. I'm going to make sure your arm isn't broken, and I'll set it if it is." She started up the machine. "Kellyn, can you get a splint ready?"

"Sure." I dug a fabric-and-Velcro splint out of the first-aid kit and loosened the straps.

"Definitely looks broken," Elaine said. "I'm going to set it before it gets infected, okay?" The girl whimpered as Elaine carefully set the bone. I handed her the splint, and she slid it over the girl's arm.

She turned to me and smiled. "I'll go steal some clothes from Kate. I think she's out on patrol." She wheeled the machine out of the room, leaving me alone with the girl.

I knelt next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," she said.

"I can imagine."

She smiled weakly. "Bet you've never seen a girl naked."

I chuckled. "You would win that bet. Hey, what's your name?"

"Summer."

"Hi, Summer. I'm Kellyn."

"And I'm Elaine," came a voice from behind me. "And the lady who is graciously lending you these clothes--" she threw some clean pajamas at Summer "--is Kate. Be sure to thank her."

Summer didn't move. "Sure thing."

"Need some help?" I asked.

"Probably."

Elaine walked towards the bed and gently pushed me aside. "I'll help. I think Kellyn here has seen enough."

I sniggered. "All right, all right. I'll leave."

Kicked out of my own bedroom, I went into one of the cupboards and found an Easy Mac cup. I scanned the directions, grabbed a plastic fork, and set to work making it.

The door slid open, and Kate entered the quarters. "Hey, Kellyn, I was on patrol. Did something happen?"

I started laughing hysterically, nearly falling off my chair. Kate looked at me incredulously. "Did something happen! Kate, you missed so much. So much."

Her eyes became round in what I took to be her signature facial expression. "Really?"

I caught myself and sighed deeply. "Kate. Some girl rode into town on a Ponyta and got thrown off and badly burned. Where did you even go on your patrol?"

"Breeze Hill."

"You didn't hear any screaming?"

She paused, then shook her head. "Nope."

"What, are you deaf? That screaming could have woken the dead!"

Kate ignored this. "Is the girl all right?"

I heard the microwave ding and went to take my Easy Mac out. "She's lying on a bed wrapped in bandages with a broken arm, if you'd consider that all right. Would you believe it, Barlow assigned me to first aid, so I had to take her clothes off!"

Kate pursed her lips. "That... must have been awkward."

"Haha, yeah." I sat down at the table and stuck my fork into the completed Easy Mac.

* * *

I went on patrol this afternoon. In the process, I calmed down Tim and Bertha's raging Miltank and rescued a drowning Skitty.

The sun started to set, and it became clear that Summer wasn't going to leave my bed in time for me to sleep in it. The Operator brought in a sleeping bag, inflatable pad, and pillow for me. I set it up on the ground next to the bed.

I grabbed some clean pajamas from the drawer and was about to start changing when I realized Summer was staring at me. I sweatdropped. "Are you going to watch me change?"

She smiled and nodded. "You've seen me naked. I wanna see you naked."

"Fine, but I'm not taking off my underwear."

"No, you gotta take off your underwear."

"I am not taking off my underwear!"

I took off my uniform and pulled on a T-shirt over my boxers, then wriggled into the sleeping bag, covering every part of my body except my head.

"Dude," Summer said. "That is not fair."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, it's not my fault Barlow assigned a guy to first aid."

She swung her upper body off of the bed and placed her head inches from mine. "You've seen a girl naked. Have you ever kissed one?"

"Um. No?" I avoided her eyes.

She leaned forward and pecked me on the lips, then winked and hoisted herself back onto the bed with her good arm and turned to face away from me.

Uh......... I rolled over onto my back. It took me about an hour to fall asleep.


End file.
